"I’m not thinking 'can I do this?' anymore. I’m just playing. That's pretty amazing."
Josh B., member since 2025
"You're not just handed a tune, you can make that tune your own. That's been a huge game changer for me."
Carol B., member since 2022
"I've been fortunate enough to travel around Europe and perform these tunes, and I wouldn't be here without this program."
Jan H., member since 2020
Whatever your level, the Fingerstyle Five has clear, methodical lessons to help you build your repertoire, improve your technique and add more chords, licks and turnarounds to your vocabulary.
Start with great traditional blues songs,
Get your thumb and fingers coordinated,
Add chords, bass lines, blues licks and more
Focus on just three things:
1. Repertoire
Start with great songs from the blues tradition
2. Technique
Get your thumb and fingers working together to play the bass line and melody at the same time
3. Vocabulary
Put your own stamp on every song with intros, chord substitutions, blues licks and more
"I've gotten more in the first month than I ever did from a year's worth of lessons."
– Scott L., member since 2024
––– The Fingerstyle Five –––
Proven Methods
To Help You:
Build Your Repertoire
Play complete versions of traditional blues tunes, whatever your level
Learn Technique
Get your thumb and fingers working together
Grow Your Vocabulary
Add to your collection of blues licks, chord moves, bass lines and turnarounds
Make It Your Own
Use intros, endings and solos to create your own version of every song
Find Community
Study with like-minded guitarists who share your passion for unlocking this style
Make Real Progress
Play more complete songs, with better technique and more variations
"I've discovered a very welcoming community in the forum. People were so friendly, I even started to post practice videos, something I never thought I would do. And my blues vocabulary (which was almost zero when I joined) has increased exponentially."
– Delphine E., member since 2023
The Fingerstyle Five Difference
Start With Songs
Start learning whole songs instead of random licks and tricks. The Fingerstyle Five has dozens of simple arrangements that sound good right away, and a step-by-step method to embellish those arrangements as your skills improve.
Learn the Technique You Need
Right-hand coordination is the single greatest stumbling block to playing whole songs. Get your thumb and fingers working together by tackling classic blues tunes instead of abstract exercises.
Build The Right Vocabulary
The secret to being able to "just sit down and play" is knowing more than one way to do things – more than one turnaround, more than one hot fill, more than one intro. In the Fingerstyle Five, you don't just learn new licks and ideas, you learn where to play them and why they work.
Arrange Your Own Version
Forget memorizing endless note-for-note transcriptions of impossibly complex recordings. In the Fingerstyle Five, once you can play a song's chords and melody, you choose what intro and outro to add, where to put in a solo or a vamp, and how much you want to embellish the tune itself.
Start Improvising Now
There's more to improvising that taking complete solos. Add improvisation to your playing, whatever your level, by swapping in bass runs and fills, mixing and matching turnarounds, and knowing more than one way to play the chords.
A Plan For Every Level
Five ways to learn exactly what you need to know
Starting in October: Learn "Kokomo Blues," the song that inspired Robert's Johnson's "Sweet Home Chicago"
Live Weekly Access
Wondering if you've got the right fingering or what to tackle next? With three hour-long live streams per month and extensive Q&A time, the Fingerstyle Five is the next best thing to taking private lessons.
Blues In E x 3
(Available October 2026)
Put three great E blues songs into your repertoire, working step-by-step at your own pace and level. Start with the one-chord vamp of "Catfish Blues," move on to the eight-bar classic "Key To The Highway," and get down into the Delta with Charlie Patton's "Pony Blues."
The Six Week Start
If you're new to fingerstyle blues, or just looking to brush up on the basics, the Six Week Start features short weekly lessons on groove, blues licks, chord voicings and more. Play your first complete 12-bar blues in just six weeks!
Quarterly Sessions
Spend October, November and December taking the twelve-bar "Kokomo Blues" through all the steps. Get weekly assignments, live walkthroughs and Q&A time, plus the support and cameraderie of the membership community.
Advanced Material
The membership includes over a dozen sophisticated jazz-blues instrumentals featuring chord substitutions, voicings up the neck, walking bass lines, chromatic single-note licks, and much more.
All The Repertoire You Need
Blues in E x 3
Get started with these three essential blues arrangements:
Catfish Blues • Key To The Highway • Pony Blues
Blues Classics
The Fingerstyle Five's Traditional Blues Library includes complete lessons for over two dozen blues classics:
Baby Please Don't Go • Careless Love • Crow Black Chicken • Crow Jane • Freight Train • House Of The Rising Sun • How Long Blues • I Shall Not Be Moved • In The Pines • Jack 'O Diamonds • Matchbox Blues • Midnight Special • Motherless Child • Nine Pound Hammer • Nobody's Dirty Business • Nobody's Fault But Mine • Rollin' and Tumblin' • See See Rider • Sitting On Top Of The World • Stagolee • Statesboro Blues • St. James Infirmary • Wayfaring Stranger • You Got To Move
Contemporary Blues
Original blues instrumentals with chord substitutions, walking bass lines, turnaround licks and other sophisticated variations:
Avalon Dreams • Big Surly • Bryant Park • Chez Poulet • Ides Of March • Ivory Ghost • Jackson's Cadillac • Little Surly • Minor Details • Mueslissippi Ibis • Muleshoe Getaway • Parisian Blues • Profundo • Ramsey Avenue Swell • Rosedale Shuffle • Soulstice • Trifecta Rag • Zoozoo Bingo
"David does an amazing job...it feels like personal lessons, even though you're with a lot of people as you learn."
Bob S., member since 2023
"It's a wonderful, accessible range of music info. Notes, tabs, theory, improv, exercises – all the whys, hows, and ways of fingerstyle blues."
Valerie S., member since 2021
"The best part is that I'm learning the instrument, not just songs. My only regret is not finding this sooner!"
John P., member since 2023
Five Reasons To Join Now
1. Play Complete Songs
- Build your repertoire with a dozen hand-picked steady bass and alternating-thumb arrangements
- Every song is playable at any level, from beginning to advanced
2. Fix Your Right Hand
- Get song-specific exercises for learning thumb-and-finger independence
- Learn essential blues rhythms, so your hands are always ready for the next tune
3. Learn More Chords, Licks and Turnarounds
- Every song includes variations to swap into your arrangement
- New licks are taught in context, so you know exactly where to use them
4. Know What To Work On...
- Begin with the Six Week Start, then move on to Blues In E X 3 or the Quarterly Sessions
- Apply every exercise, lick, bass line or chord voicing directly to the song you're working on
5. ...And How To Work On It
- Step-by-step lessons take you through every stage of learning each song
- Got questions? Bring them to the live Q&A sessions, or get answers in the Community Forum
" A year ago I didn't know a flat third from a hole in the wall and had only a vague notion of keys and scales. Today, I understand everything you said in this month's improvisation sessions and how you arrive at the licks you give us."
– Rob B., member since 2024
"I got the greatest compliment last week, my wife told me I actually sounded great and she could tell that I really have improved."
– Robert C., member since 2024
HOW IT WORKS
Sign Up
Use the secure form below to sign up now using Paypal or Stripe.
Join The Membership
Start learning with the membership's clear, structured, ongoing lessons.
Play Better Blues
Learn more songs, play them better, and make them your own
When are the live streams? Can I watch them later, on demand?
I just started playing fingerstyle guitar. Will the Fingerstyle Five work for me?
I'm a long-time player and already know plenty of tunes. What will I learn from the Fingerstyle Five?
How long are the live streams?
Where do I go to watch the lessons?
How much is the membership? Is it easy to cancel?
The Fingerstyle Five
There is no long-term commitment when you join The Fingerstyle Five. Sign up now for $39/month, pay monthly, and cancel at any time.
